Golf ball and method of making the same



April 26, 1927.

W; C. GEER GOLF BALL AND METHOD, OF MAKING THE SAME Filed March 5, 1924 x GARVAZETU i tough outer :cover a method for making the same lesced therewith, an inner,

material adapted to be" thorou hly' 2o compacted into the interstices of a W111 ing erably comprising used in the inner 35 so as to ro .tioned 56 in Fig. 1 and a relatively thin inner zcover Patented Apr. 19 27. UNITED ST ATES 1. .4 PATENT OFFICE.

. wmmnlc. (man, or men, 0310, nssrenon 'ro THE B. r. eoonmcn comrAnY, or

NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

sour am am) mn'rnon or MAKING THE SAME.

' This invention relates to the' construction of. .golf balls, more particularly to golf balls embodying the usual core surrounded by tense rubber windings, and havin a of gutta-percha, ba ata or the like which the. outer wra s of said windings.

The chief o jec'ts of my invention are to pioduce a golf ball'having improved union '10 0 the'cover material with the wound strucand' effective ture, and to provide a simple whereby obtain a superior ball capable flight and having increased durabilit A further object is to providea golf bal having a tough outer layer of covering material adapted to withstand rough softer layer of covering or windings of rubber thread or tape constituting a part or parts ofthe ball. In the manufacture of .golf'balls it is common practice to apply a cover of balata '25 or the like, in the form, of hemi-spherical shells, to the wound "center, enclosethe same without ressure in a hot mold until the cover she ls are softened, and then forcibly close the mold and thereby force the plastic 30 cover material into the interstices of the outer windings of the center, the later prefseveral wrapped layers of a narrower strand of .rubber than. that regions of the winding, 'de a better anchorage for the cover- This'method is open to the objection that considerable time and great mold pressure is required to force the lastic cover material into the interstices o the outer,

' 40 narrow-thread .windings, and unless this is done the force of a blow upon the ball will not be roperly transmitted directly to" the liquided core. These objections are overcome by my present invention, wherein .45 the thread windings of the ball are completely imbedded within Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 isa view in section and elevation of a golf ball center? of aknown type,

the. cover material.

consisting of a li uid-filled core and a pluralityof layers 0 tense rubber. windings thereon. I

' Fig. 2 is an elevation, with a part secand broken away, of the center -shown fills the interstices of usage and, ooagrips the thin inner cover shells meet it. Said outer layer of gutta percha or balata enveloping .the same in-accordance with the preferred form of my invention. Fig. .3 is an elevation, with a part sectloned and broken away, of the complete ball prior to molding, consisting of the structure of F i 2, several layers of thread rubber wrappe thereon, and an outer cover of the same material as the inner cover layer.

Fig.

tion, the center being shown in elevation and the outer structure thereon in section.

Fig. 5 is a view of a. partiallyconstructed ball representing a modification, apart be- 111%S8Ctl011d and broken away. eferring to the drawings, which show the preferred method of making my improved all, 10 is a core, which may be of any 4; is a'fragmentary view, on, a large I scale, of the finished ball, after vulcanizaof longer suitable material and construction, but is preferably liquid-filled, and 11 is the usual tense winding of relatively wide rubber tape, which may be applied with the usual winding apparatus, 12, 12 are thin, hemi-spherical shells of such as a gutta-percha or balata composition or the like, but preferably semewhat softer than that which is used for the outer 4 cover layer of the finished ball, so as the more readily to be forcedinto the lnterstices ofthe. rubber winding, said shells being the usual covering material,

formed and applied to the wound center in any suitable manner and joined in a butt seam 12. V

After the shells 12are' applied, the ball is wound with several layers of relatively narrow rubber tape or thread 13, which tightly 12 and leaves numerous interstices open to the surface. The next step is to apply the' outer layer of covering material, which maybe very tough, since the softer inner cover layer 12, 12 is adapted the interstices of the thread winding 13 to plied asa pair of previously-formed, hemito be forced out through layer preferably is apspherical sections or shells 14, 14. The latter preferably are formed of less than the. usual thickness to compensate for the thickness of the inner shells 12, .12, althoughthis effect i may be had by reducing the thickness of-the windings '1'1. mold without pressure, heated until the cover and molding presmaterial becomes plastic,

The ball is then placed in a p p sure then applied inthe usual manner. During the heating of the ball in the mold the inner shells 12 as well as the outer covers 14 become softened, andlparticuiarly the former,

s) that when molding pressure is applied the vmaterial of said inner shells is'forced out ward into the interstices of thethread wind Moreover, the time and pressure required for forcing cover material into covering me'nt of the thread windings.

- rubber 'inding thereon, an inner the thread windings from opposite sides is considerably less than is required fortorcing it from one side only,particularly in the case of tough mate-rial requiring a high degree of heat and pressure to cause it to flow freely, and th s results in a saving of time in manufacture, and inless distortion or displace-' In the n iodifica'tion shown in Fig. 5, an inner cover is applicdnto the windings 11 in" the form of a tape 15 of cover-material, said tape beinsr wound upon the rubber winding 11. The ball may then be completed as above described with reference to the preferred embodiment. 1

My invention may be further modified. within its scope and I do'not limit my claims wholly to the specific construction shown nor to the exact procedure described. Iclaim:

' l. A golf ball comprising a core, a tense cover layer of dense material upon said winding, a winding of strand material upon said layer, and v a tough .onter cover completely enclosing the ball, said outer cover being united with said inner cover layer through the interstices of the interveningmvinding of strand material, 2. A golf ball' comprising a core, a tense rnbberwinding thereon, a tough, molded cover, and a winding of r ubber thread completely imbedded in said cover.

3. A golf-ballcomprising a wrapped center, a tough molded cover on said center, and a plurality of wraps of thread completely imbedded within saidcover and remote from the outer surface thereof.

4. The method of making a golf ball which comprises enclosing a wrapped center in a layer thereon as to provide interstices between the adjacentturn's of the winding, enclosing the structure thus 'formed in a tough outer layer of cover material, and by heat and pressure uniting the two through the interstices of'theintervening thread winding.

5. The methodof comprises enclosing pre-formed, hemi-spherical material, so winding rubber making a golfball which thread thereon as to (provide interstices between the adjacent turns of the winding, enclosingthe resulting structure within a tough outer cover, and then subjecting the same to heat and molding pressure whereby the cover layers are softened and forced through the inter.- stices of the intervening thread/winding to completely imbed the latter.

' (i. Themethod of making a golf ball which comprises enclosinga wrapped center within relatively thin, hemi-spheric'al shells of cov a material, so windinga plurality of-layers f strand material thereon under tension as'to provide interstices between theadjacent turns of the winding, enclosing the article within relatively thick hemispherical shells 'of cover material, and, then subjecting it to heat and molding pressure whereby the respective cover layers are softened and forced through the iDllQI'StICGS Of said windingso that they unite thereinl 'i'. A golf ball comprising a core, a tense" rubber winding thereon. a" tough, molded, outer cover and a softer inner cover on said winding and a winding of rubber thread completely imbedded in said inner cover. I p In witness whereofl have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of February, 1924.

I wnmmn o. GEER.

of cover material, so winding a thread layers of cover" material,

a wrapped center withinshells of cover, 

